Lifestyle Insight Magazine

You know that term where certain people aren’t allowed to do certain things because of their skin colour, race, nationality or ethnicity? First thing that comes to your mind is racism yh? But that isn’t what I’m talking about at all. I’m talking about this new term that’s floating around the Internet nowadays called cultural Appropriation. Its properly defined as the unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society. Its basically saying, my people do and practice this, your people do and practice this and there can be no crossovers. Sound familiar?

The very definition of culture is the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.Thus, culture includes language, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, works of art, rituals, and ceremonies. So by the rules of cultural Appropriation if a Chinese man goes out dressed in Japanese attire he has Appropriated the Japanese culture? Or a woman of Mexican heritage wears Ghanian braids or attire, has she Appropriated the Ghanaian culture? What about an American man who is fluent in the French language, has he Appropriated the French culture merely by speaking their language? Sounds absurd, doesn’t it?

But that seems just about right to many people in the digital society right now as a lot of celebrities and influencers have been “cancelled” for such things. For example;

1. Following the release of 7 rings, Ariana Grande received backlash for the use of Japanese text in her merch and on a tattoo. People claimed she was “stealing” the culture.

2. Kim Kardashian got backlash all the time in the past for wearing braids. Sounds absurd to me considering the fact that black people around the world wear wigs and sew ins and even go as far as relaxing their hair; but other people wearing braids is off limits? Laughable!

3. Katy Perry in 2013 received backlash for performing in a traditional Japanese outfit at an award show. Dressing is off limits too now apparently, as if the whole world hasn’t adopted the English style dressing.

Language, Hair and Dressing. The main components of culture. I wonder if food is also included in this. Will I be cancelled for cooking and eating Indian food as a Nigerian?

The thing that amazes me in all this is that up until this generation; culture has always been shared. You go to a New place and they share their culture with you. They put you in their dressing and hair, teach you the language and give you their food. I wonder what changed.

I also wonder what the world would be like if everyone just stuck to their own culture. If culture was never shared. At this rate, we are moving towards that kind of society so I guess we will soon find out.